


Struggle Bus

by wabisabija



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-18
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-16 03:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1330543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wabisabija/pseuds/wabisabija
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi hates taking public transportation, but one event leaves him looking forward to his next ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Struggle Bus

Levi was having a terrible week.

He supposed that was the price he had to pay for deciding to splurge on a fancy foreign car. Once it broke down (for an irritatingly minor issue), it had to be shipped to a dealer that was certified to work with the brand. He was out of a car for at least two weeks. Or so the dealer said. After throwing around a few choice (and very colorful) phrases, the dealer hastily squeaked that he’d try his hardest to get it done in a week.

It had been a week, and Levi still hadn’t received a call from the dealer. He huffed angrily as he waited on the corner of his block, contemplating the ways he would strangle the seedy, tackily dressed man when he finally got his hands on him. Because of this unfortunate predicament, Levi was forced to take public transportation. Namely, the dirty, grimy, greasy, smelly city bus. The bus was always packed, and if he was unlucky enough to miss a seat, he had to stand, usually pressed between two men who were badly in need of a hygiene wake-up call and wouldn’t stop creasing his newly pressed suit. He couldn’t bear to think of the disturbing things he’d seen on the vile vehicle in the past week, which included (but was not limited to) vile public displays of affection that usually weren’t limited to kissing, a man and his dirty pet rat, and a dropped lollipop that was promptly picked up and stuck right back into the child’s gaping maw, bits of debris and all.

"Speak of the fucking devil," Levi hissed, eyeing the hulking contraption jam-packed with germs angrily as it screeched to a stop in front of him. He collected his briefcase and steeled himself as he began to climb the dreaded staircase, quickly sliding his bus pass through the scanner. He gave a small nod to the driver, who was clearly more interested in exploring the newfound crevices he must have found in the depths of his nasal cavity. The bus was packed today, but Levi managed to nab a seat before they were completely filled. He narrowed his eyes, deepening his perpetual scowl, drawing into himself to become smaller to avoid unwanted contact with the two people sitting on either side of him. He wedged his briefcase between his feet and crossed his arms, focusing on the floor as the bus lurched forward. He hoped that he looked unfriendly enough that nobody would try to strike up a conversation with him.

His plan failed.

A grubby hand landed on the sleeve of his favorite charcoal sport jacket, leaving a delightful stain from some unknown substance. He snapped his head towards the offender, who seemed to be an old lady clutching a bag of canned cat food. She peered up at him from smudged glasses and rasped, “Excuse me sonny, could you tell me what stop we just passed?”

He mustered up the most sour, affronted glare he had in his arsenal of intimidating looks and shot it at the elderly woman. She, however, didn’t take the hint and tugged on his sleeve again. “Did you hear me, Jack?”

Levi yanked his arm away from the offensive woman and snapped, “Do I look like a goddamn map? Think twice before you put your fucking disgusting paws on my suit again, or else they’ll be broken.”

The old woman looked affronted with his words, but fell silent at the threat. At the very next stop, she scurried off of the bus, her cans clanking away. “Good riddance,” Levi muttered, scratching irritatingly at the brown stain she had left on his jacket. He didn’t want to know what it was from. As soon as the doors closed, the seat to his right was instantly occupied by a man who looked as if he had just come from the gym. Smelled like it, too. Levi wrinkled his nose and leaned away. His stop couldn’t come quick enough.

The bus rattled from stop to stop, slowly becoming more packed. The air was thick with the scent of stale sweat and gasoline, and it was giving Levi an undesirable headache. But, thankfully, his stop was coming up. He couldn’t wait to be off of the heathen-infested contraption.

Suddenly, with a screech of protest and a deafening cry from the passengers, the bus jerked to a sudden stop. Levi was jostled by the two sitting beside him, and he felt something heavy plop into his lap. Whatever was perched on him began to lose balance, and by instinct, his hands shot out to steady it.

Or her.

Definitely a her.

His palms had not rested on something, but someone. His fingers grazed the subtle swell of her hips, and the momentum had sent her sliding back, flush against his chest. He got a noseful of her silky black hair and a waft of roses. A pleasant change from the stench of the bus. Very pleasant indeed. The breath he had sucked in to berate whoever was responsible for the fall died in his throat. Perfect fit, he found himself thinking idly, his thumbs involuntarily tracing circles against the material of her cardigan. He heard a gasp escape her lips (what a delicious sound it was), and her hands shot backward, planting firmly against his chest so she could push herself up as quickly as she could possibly move.

She righted herself, adjusting the scarlet scarf wrapped around her slender neck, and turned around. Levi was met with a delightfully pretty face, fresh and clean, complete with dark, mysterious eyes and a luscious set of lips. She ran a hand hastily through her hair and blurted, “I’m so, so sorry! I lost my balance and someone knocked into me, and it all happened so fast.”

On a normal day, Levi would have snapped at the unsuspecting girl. Berated her. Belittled her. Made her cry, possibly. But today, he found himself willing his heart to stop racing as he murmured, “It’s okay.”

She opened those pretty lips to say more, but her head snapped towards the exit, which was currently closing. She shot Levi one more smile, then raced off to the exit, squeezing out at the last minute. He stared after her, craning his neck to watch her fix her messenger bag once again before strutting down the street. His jaw was lax, and it remained lax until he arrived to his bus stop. The rest of the day, his head was filled with the feeling of her on top of him and the rosy scent of her hair.

————————————————-

This is absolutely ridiculous.

For the first time in his life, he was running late. Levi was never late. Never in his entire life. Yet there he was, standing at the bus stop, anxiously checking his watch every couple of seconds. Had he not spent the last couple of days constantly thinking of the beautiful girl he had met on the very same bus he was waiting for, he would probably already be in his office. Yet instead of drifting to sleep after his nightly mug of tea, he lay awake, staring at his ceiling, thinking of those dark eyes.

Fucking absurd. You didn’t even catch her name. She talked to you for five seconds, for God’s sake. Get a hold of yourself. he thought to himself angrily. He shot up the stairs of the recently arrived bus, sliding his pass quickly and wedging himself between the crowd of people. No seat was open. He set his jaw and grasped one of the overhead straps with his right hand, checking the time once again. “Fuck,” Levi whispered. He was definitely going to be late. With a sigh, he couldn't help but scan the bus, looking for a head of shiny black hair.

No luck.

Levi’s eyes settled on a guy sitting directly in front of him, devouring a sub sandwich. He wiped his stubby fingers on the front of his already greasy white t-shirt, and Levi shuddered. Levi hadn’t minded getting on the bus the past few days (because that meant that he might meet that mysterious girl again), but he was feeling himself slowly sink back into the utter hatred he had held before. Disgusting.

The bus began to get more crowded, and Levi felt himself being jostled between two large guys, creasing his suit. That always seemed to happen. The small statured man struggled not to lash out and start a brawl as he continued to be pushed around. He watched his watch inch past 8:00. He was officially late. Just one more stop and he could get off and make it to his office at a decent time. Levi would be easily forgiven if this was his first tardy offense, right? The bus’s breaks squealed and Levi felt himself lurch backwards. He grunted, trying to keep a firm hold on the strap above him, but it slipped right out of his sweaty fingers. His briefcase clattered to the floor as he hit something solid, causing him to sidestep towards the guy with the sandwich.

He squeezed his eyes shut, threw his palms outward, and braced for impact. His hands smacked against the window with a loud slap, taking the brunt of Levi’s fall, stopping him from sprawling all over the man with the sub sandwich. His knee shot up and wedged between the guy’s legs. ’Great. Just fucking great.’ he thought, bracing for the awkward (and potentially messy) moment as he cracked his eyes open.

The scent of roses filled his nostrils, and his heart began to hammer in his chest, and it wasn’t from the shock of the sudden stop of the bus. Levi found himself not face to face with the filthy guy with the sandwich, but nose to nose with a very pretty face. Her onyx eyes stared up at his, wide with surprise, her black her tousled. She wore the same scarlet scarf as she did before, and Levi vaguely realized that his knee was wedged between her thighs. He gaped at her, not quite sure what to say. There she was, after days of her invading his thoughts. There she was. Right in front of him.

Levi watched her pert, pink lips part, preparing to say something, but he beat her to the chase. “Levi.”

She blinked, furrowing her brow. “I… I’m sorry?”

"Levi. My name is Levi."

"Is that supposed to be your apology?" she asked, a small chuckle tumbling through a small smile. A pleasant rosy hue rose to her cheeks. Levi could feel her breath ghosting over his lips with every word she spoke, and he worked hard to suppress a shudder. "Fair enough. My name’s Mikasa."


End file.
